No turning back
by carimasali
Summary: When Rachel has a prophetic dream, Jason and Piper have to leave their camp to find the location of her vision. Finding the location proves to be the easy task, but a set of wrong decisions lead to a war, where friends fight against friends, brothers against brothers, while the gods simply wait and watch. Title sucks. I'm going to change it as soon as I get a better idea.
1. Chapter 1

_Note by the author: _

_I will be posting the REWRITTEN chapters once every two weeks. Not much has changed, but I've made some corrections, added or left out things I thought necessary._

_If I stay motivated and university lets me, I will finish the story before the year is over. _

* * *

**No Turning Back**

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

* * *

On an uneventful July afternoon, Jason and Piper were called to Chiron's office. The matter, the son of Hermes explained, was urgent and required the two heroes' immediate attention.

The son of Zeus- excuse me - Jupiter had other plans for a hot summers day, like watching the Star Wars trilogy or swimming in the lake. But no! Enjoying himself, even just for a day, was not something the dear, lovely gods wanted. Now Jason and his girlfriend were standing inside Chiron's office, where the centaur and the Oracle, a red-haired girl called Rachel, were explaining to them why they had been called.

"The thing is this -"

There has been a disturbance in the force, Jason thought and had to bite his lip to hide his grin. Damn, he loved Star Wars so much it hurt. He needed to watch it again. He wondered shortly if Piper would ever consider to -

"Jason? You okay?"

The demigod shook himself. He rubbed his neck, blushing furiously. Rachel grinned. Piper raised an eyebrow. Chiron sighed.

"We called you here, because Rachel had a dream, a vision if you want.", he said.

"So it's bad", Piper said.

Rachel nodded nonchalantly. „Yep."

"Important dreams or visions are rarely good news. We prefer being surprised by the good than by the bad things. So-". Chiron cleared his throat. "Rachel, would you mind telling them what you've told me?"

She nodded, flipping her curly hair from her face.

"Okay. In my… dream, in the beginning I was in my cave, when suddenly a voice called me to go outside."

"Whose voice?", Piper asked worriedly. Voices were never good.

She shook her head. „I don't know.", she said. "But she only said my name over and over again until I left my cave." The Oracle took a deep, shaky breath.

"I wasn't at camp Half-Blood anymore", she said. "I didn't recognize the place – it was a city. " She took a paper from her folder. She handed it over to the two demigods.

It was a beautiful, yet sad charcoal drawing of an open gate. The wide, strong doors were unhinged, someone had broken through. The opening gave a small view to what lay beyond the walls. Bodies lay scattered before and behind the gate, their faces scratched out with thick black lines.

Rachel passed them another one. "When I walked through the gate", she continued quietly. "I saw the city burning, the buildings were in ruins. There were holes in the ground from explosions…"

Jason and Piper looked at each other. Besides being absolutely beautifully drawn, the pictures showed nothing good.

Rachel had seen a city. The buildings looked like they'd been strong and beautiful, but with all the red and black and orange the Oracle had used to paint the fire and blood, all reminders of beauty were lost.

"I walked deeper into the city. I saw dead people, I couldn't see their faces, but I must've known them, because I cried in my dream. And I didn't see anything to confirm this, but I know that both sides were hit with heavy losses."

Piper gasped as she studied the third drawing.

Rachel had painted a large street. The houses were crumbling and on the sides of the pavement, bodies scattered around the ground. At the distance she'd drawn the conquering army.

"Do- did you see who these people were?", she asked.

"The conquerors?" Rachel shook her head. "But whoever they were, I wasn't happy about what they'd done."

"This means this army is going to take this city. Did the voice say anything else to you?", Jason inquired, giving the drawings back to the owner.

The Oracle shook her head again.

"No, but she didn't need to." She closed the folder tightly. "These people are in danger. If this battle has gone unnoticed by the rest of the country, it means that something powerful is hiding them. We need to find this city and warn them before the others get there first!"

Jason nodded serious.

Chiron stood up from his wheelchair. "That's why I have decided to hand this task over to you, Jason.", he said.

"Oh…. So, this is a quest?"

"No. At least, not officially." Chiron put a hand on his shoulder. "This is not a prophecy. A prophecy would make this official. Dreams, however, can be... deceptive."

"Because prophecies are always so clear", Piper muttered.

"We're talking about preventing a tragedy before it hits. Your task is to find the city and warn the people living there. Offer them our help."

"And what if they don't want our help?", Piper asked.

Chiron opened his mouth, but Rachel beat him to it.

"They will need our help eventually. If they say no, just show them my drawings. Here-"

Piper caught the folder. She hesitated. "I don't know, Rachel. After all, these are just drawings. They'll probably think we're making this up."

"Show them and they'll accept our help."

"Yeah, but what if it's a false alarm? If it was really just a dream to scare you? To lure us out from our camp to attack while we're gone?"

"Piper, if they wanted to scare me the voice would have said more. Instead, she just said my name and let me see everything." Rachel shook her head. "This is real. It is going to happen. Who knows? Maybe it's happening right now and we're just wasting our time talking!"

Chiron nodded. "That is why you have to leave today, Jason. Take whoever you want with you, but not more than two. I don't want you to call attention."

Jason nodded. „I'll take Piper.", he said without needing to think. "We'll say we're taking a week off or something."

"Yeah, but where do we start looking?" She looked at Rachel.

"I don't know for sure, but the city seemed to be very… isolated. I mean, an army conquered a city, killed hundreds of people and no one noticed! It has to be somewhere where not many people live"

"Okay", Jason said, rubbing his forehead. "Then we… we'll study the map and go to the secluded areas. Hah…What could possibly go wrong?"

"Well, there are still monsters we have to worry about."

"Thanks, Piper."

"My pleasure, Grace."

As Piper held the door open, waiting for her boyfriend, Jason turned to Rachel.

"Call us as soon as you know more, okay?"

She gave a nod. "Don't worry. I'll be sleeping a lot."


	2. Chapter 2

_Remember when I said I'd finish this story before the year was over? I was wrong. _

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

* * *

**A**fter travelling for a week and two days, they finally found the city from Rachel's dreams. They fought probably more monsters during their journey than during the Giant War and spent most of their time walking to get to their destination. Now they were sore, thirsty, hungry and _tired_.

Though, Piper had to admit she'd never seen such a beautiful place before. And she'd travelled quite a bit – mostly for business reasons (quests) and had seen truly astounding places. This city was different. So... untouched, wide and spacious.

The mist followed them, dimmed gold by the warm sunlight. It moved lazily, like silk. It seemed to be teasing them by dodging their steps as they moved deeper into the city.

A profound sense of peace settled within her at the stillness around them – it was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It was not a feeling or a state of mind. She could not describe it; no word was descriptive enough. The demigod had to stop walking, she didn't notice she had already. She simply stood there, seeing for the first time how precious this place was.

A hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. Jason Grace, her boyfriend, smiled warmly at her, questioning her with his blue eyes if she was alright.

Jason pressed her hand gently.

"Come on", he whispered softly. "We should get going."

They ventured further into the city. The mist was their constant companion, moving swiftly, lazily as if it had just woken up from a long nap.

"Do you think anybody lives here? It _looks _like the city from Rachel's drawings so...", Jason asked after a while. He was frowning slightly. "It just… we haven't crossed anybody since we've arrived."

Piper agreed with him. She was surprised she hadn't noticed before, but it was shocking and unnerving that they hadn't crossed anybody's path since they stepped into this new territory. Two powerful demigods like them alone… Shouldn't they have been attacked by now? Where in Zeus' name were the monsters? There was no sign of them, but Piper didn't take that as a good sign either. Experience had taught her that you needn't look like a monster to be one.

What the heck was going on here?

The mist made way for them as Jason and Piper passed between two bulky towers. The haze covered the two constructions like a blanket. But the gurgling sound of a nearby stream caught the two demigods' attention. They were thirsty, so they followed the sound.

Once there, they sat down, relieved to be able to relax. Jason stretched his legs and arms, dropping to the ground with a deep and content sigh. He stayed in that position for over twenty minutes without moving. Piper was more productive during that time.

She washed the sweat from her face, neck and underneath her arms. With a rag she poured the cool water over her heated back and legs, closing her eyes and sighing at the feeling. Immediately she felt stronger. She guessed that this was how Percy felt every time he came in contact with water. Piper felt like she could outrun a horde of monsters, like there was no threat in the world that could defeat her. She was unstoppable. Unbeatable. Indestructible. She could and would defeat anyone.

Piper sat up straighter and moved away from the stream. Her heart skipped a few beats as she realized that something was wrong with the water. It had made her feel.. powerful. _Too powerful_. As if she could defeat the gods - No! She didn't dare even think about it. But she really could do it. She would the-

_Enough!_

She shook her head to clear her head. She would – could not let Jason anywhere near the stream. He was one of the Big Three, one of the most powerful demigods alive.

She glanced at him. Her boyfriend was still in the same position. Jason often said she worried to much. He was right. And she tried to change that. But worrying was something that came naturally to her. The stream and the silence worried her. The future worried her. The clear sky made her nervous too.

Piper leaned her back against the narrow wall that separated the water channel from the empty street. She closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply in and out. It was a method the Apollo kids had recommended her if she ever felt the need to relax. The effects of this method didn't disappoint. Piper felt her body relax and her mind felt lighter. She began to feel calmer.

Then her eyes opened. Instinctively, Piper reached for her dagger, but there was nothing - no one around. She shook her head and reached for her bag, taking out their food. She took large gulps from the water bottle, careful not to drink too much, before taking a bite off her sandwich. She shook Jason awake. Her boyfriend jumped to his feet, expecting an attack, but he quickly sat down next to his girlfriend as he realized they were really alone. Piper handed him a sandwich with a smile and he took it, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment and his eyes still heavy from sleep.

The couple finished eating for the moment and sat in silence. Piper closed her eyes, resting her back against the wall. Jason stared absent-mindedly at the flowing river. It sparkled underneath the sun, its color not blue, but translucent like a crystal. There was something different about it, something unique that Jason did not see when looking at the sea. This river flowed with a tranquility that the sea had not.

He wondered if it felt as cool as it looked. He wondered if it tasted as good as he imagined. Was it as fresh as the wind on a clearing? The water... If he drank it, would it drown his thirst like the water from the mountains? It looked so cold and wet and delicious. And maybe... Maybe it tasted even better?

How would the water feel on his skin if he dived into it?

Jason licked his lips, noticing suddenly how dry his mouth was. He was really thirsty. He glanced at his girlfriend, who seemed to have fallen asleep. Then back at the water. It flowed so nicely. Almost like the mist. Just more... fluent. Like... water... Jason sighed and closed his eyes. He felt embarrassed for a reason.

He crawled to the river. Dipped his hands into the water. Jason. There were no words to describe the feeling of the liquid on his skin. So cool, so fresh, so soft. There was no way the gods could ever imitate this beautiful thing. It deserved to be unique. It had to be protected from all harm.

Jason lifted his hands and reached down with his mouth to drink the water. If it felt so good, he couldn't begin to imagine how deliciously wonderful it would taste!

"Jason, DON'T!"

Jason turned his head to her. "What is it?", he asked with a frown.

His girlfriend hesitated. "It's- I have a bad feeling about it."

"Why?"

She hesitated again. "I don't know. Just... stay away from it"

"But why?" He was whining like a three-year old begging for candy.

"Something is wrong with the water", she said after hesitating for the millionth time.

Jason almost scoffed. Almost. He knew Piper's limits and he was the last one, who wanted to cross them.

"Wrong? What is WRONG with it, Piper?", he asked with fake patience.

Piper pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jason, I'm really tempted to -" She caught herself. "Never mind. Just... Just stay away from it."

Jason hesitated. The anger faded a little. He studied her. After all these years together he still didn't understand her completely. He had gotten to know her limits, knew which buttons to push and which ones not, but that was it. She was still a mystery. Like the river.

He glanced at the water. Then at Piper. And back to the stream. It looked so inviting. The sea was different. This river was pure and cool and he could drink it. He crawled closer. Immersed his hands into the water. It was as soft and cold and lovely as he had imagined.

"Jason!"

He smiled. Piper's voice was truly the most beautiful sound in this world. Beethoven could have composed a symphony based only on her voice. Just like the stream. It deserved to be protected. It was so cool and fresh and lovely.

Jason lifted his hands, leading them to his mouth. His hands had formed the shape of a bowl and he reached to drink the water.

"Jason!"

"WHAT are you doing, young man? Stop it, right NOW!"

The water poured down from his hands. He had not tasted it. He felt dizzy, as if he'd just woken up from deep slumber.

"Jason". Piper lay a hand on his shoulder and shook him. "I _told_ you not to do it!", she hissed.

"Sorry", he responded with a frown. He looked up.

The person, who had so rudely stopped him from drinking, stood tall on the other side of the river. He looked his father's age - that is, like a regular middle-aged man. Only he didn't wear a suit or a beard. His father and this man shared the same disapproving expression every grown-up person uses when they see someone younger doing something they don't approve off.

Piper stood up, brushing the dust from her pants as she did so. She smiled at him and Jason couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. She had such a beautiful smile. This man didn't deserve that smile!

"I'm sorry, sir", she said politely in her best charmspeaker voice. Even Jason believed she was sorry.

The man frowned a little. "Well... you… uh… you should." He cleared his throat. He pointed a finger at Jason, who shot him his best death-glare. "_He_ should be sorry!"

"I know, sir. I tried to stop him-"

"How dare he desecrate the sacred river!"

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Sacred?" Now she was curious. She had suspected that there was something different, maybe even dangerous about the river, but she couldn't imagine what made it so special.

The stranger nodded gravely. "Yes. No one's allowed to drink or bathe in it."

Piper swallowed. "What happens if someone does drink or... bathes in it?"

He shrugged. "Nothing bad. It gives you a blessing. Heals you. "

She nodded slowly. That explained why she'd felt so powerful when she'd washed the sweat from her face and arms. It seemed that even the smallest contact with the water was able to change you.

"If it heals, why don't you use it more often?", asked Jason.

The man glared at Piper with a is-he-serious-look. She shrugged apologetically.

"Why? Because good things should not be taken for granted! If we used it for every single, trivial thing the water would lose its power!"

Jason raised an eyebrow and was immediately back on his feet. "Oh yeah? Who told you that?"

"Jason, _shut up_.", Piper said, stepping forward. She could feel the man and her boyfriend getting angrier the more they argued. The best thing would be to leave. "I am sorry, sir. He's just being curious. We were leaving anyway."

"Really?"

"Really?"

Jason stared at her in disbelief, the man in relief. Piper smiled. She offered her hand to Jason, who took it.

"Yes, we've been here long enough", she said and squeezed his arm to shut him up before he could open his mouth again. He rubbed his arm.

"Ouch."

The strange man nodded approving. "I think that's for the best" He smiled at her. Piper returned the gesture, leading her boyfriend away from the river.

"I can't believe you would embarrass me in front of others!"

Jason huffed. He opened his mouth to retort something in his defense, but changed his mind.

"Come. Let us leave this place." she said flatly.

He shrugged and quickened his pace, Piper followed slowly.

The stream gurgled, its voice reminded her of giggling. She frowned, glaring at her boyfriend's neck. If she was honest with herself, Jason had embarrassed her before and this time was not as bad as the previous cases. She didn't understand why she was so frustrated. Everything had been fine until a few moments ago. She was close to blaming this strained situation between them on the river. But again, if she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that nothing bad would've happened if that stranger hadn't been so aggressive. She and Jason had been on their feet all day, so it was understandable that Jason was a bit sensitive. But again, the stranger couldn't have known that.

Piper sighed. She felt terrible. She recalled the peaceful feeling she'd felt when she'd seen this city. It was the exact opposite of how she felt now. She rubbed her forehead, an invisible burden dropped onto her shoulders. Right now, the only thing the demigod wanted to do, was to lay down and do nothing at all. Maybe sleep. Or listen to music. Music always helped. Perhaps Jason could hug her. Hold her close to him. He always provided comfort when she was sad.

Piper stopped on her tracks. Her eyes wandered around, trying to recognize the buildings from before. However no building or street was familiar to her. Her stomach dropped. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

Great. _Thank you_ great gods, for being SO _helpful_!

"Jason! Wait!"

Jason, who had walked on, turned around. He didn't look good either.

Piper shrunk in size as she said: „We're lost."

Jason groaned and stumbled, having to lean on a wall to not fall to his knees.

"Great!", he groaned. "Just- Fuck." He waved his hand and sat down, turning his back on her.

Piper looked back. The mist slid lazily around her. She'd never felt so alone before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Chapter 3**

* * *

Jason and Piper were hopelessly lost.

"Oh, shit", Jason muttered. "I knew it was a bad idea."

Piper sat down on a rock and drank from her bottle.

"We should've asked that man where the exit was", she said.

Jason snorted. "That guy? Nah, he wouldn't have helped."

She frowned at him. "He would have. He _wanted_ us to leave."

"Yes and he would have done everything to keep us away from the river!"

Piper sighed and put the bottle back into her bag. "Are you still mad?"

"At what?"

"Come on, Jason… don't be like that…"

"Why? It works for you!" he snapped.

She crossed her arm and stood up. "What?" She didn't wait for him to explain himself. "Listen to me, young man! I know I'm not perfect but if you had to put up with so much shit as I have in my life you would -"

But Jason wasn't listening. His girlfriend continued to speak, while he studied their environment.

He was sure they had found the location of Rachel's dream. While they didn't find the gate from her prophetic dream yet, they had walked past many buildings that had an astonishing resemblance to the ones in Rachel's drawings. Now they only had to find the people living in this place and they could return to camp Half-Blood. The problem was: the place was abandoned! No one had set a foot on this place for many, many years. There was even no sign of that strange man! How was that possible?

Unless the man had come from another direction, which would explain why there was no trace of him.

Jason cleared his throat and turned to his girlfriend. He opened his mouth to suggest going back, when he heard voices. The two froze.

Jason reached for his sword.

"Let's go back!", he whispered. "There's a good place to hide and keep watch!"

Piper nodded, her hand grabbed her dagger tightly.

Carefully, quickly, they walked back and hid behind a wall.

"That's good", he said breathlessly. "Now we wait."

"Did you hear if they were monsters?"

He shook his head. "No. They wouldn't have been so..."

"Careful?"

He nodded. Piper motioned with her head towards the direction the voices had come from.

"They are silent now..."

The two demigods waited for an eternity it seemed. Their hearts beat rapidly, their breathing was ragged and the sun shone heavily on their heads. Jason wished he had taken a hat with him.

His heart skipped a few beats when he heard the shuffling of footsteps approaching their location. The couple exchanged a look. Their eyes shared the same worry. But whoever - whatever waited for them on the other side of the wall, they would defeat it together.

Jason gave a short nod, a gesture Piper understood from past experience. She licked her lips.

"One..."

"...Two..."

He took a deep breath.

"Three!"

The two jumped from their cover and charged, shouting at the top of their lungs. The three strangers, who had appeared, shouted something and drew their weapons. But Jason and Piper were faster and more desperate. Piper's dagger clashed against a woman's, unarming her with one strike. Jason disarmed the other two before they had time to react and pushed them to the ground with one hard shove.

"Stay-"

The man tackled Jason. He landed hard on his back, but he still had his sword in his hand and slashed. The man rolled off of him and Jason jumped to his feet again.

"Who-"

There was a loud sound, similar to the sound of a horn. The three strangers looked at each other and ran away. Piper and Jason stormed after them when suddenly the ground began to shake. They gasped in shock and stumbled back as the earth rose into a wall.

"Shit! Shit! Go back!", he yelled. "Go back!"

Piper and Jason ran around a corner, not caring where they were headed, when the earth formed a wall again. A look to every direction showed them that they were surrounded. Large walls, at least seven meters tall, gloomed over them.

Jason put an arm around Piper's hips, pulling her tightly against him as he commanded the winds to carry them over the walls.

They were halfway up, when a woman appeared on the wall behind them. She moved her arms and hands in a short and harsh manner and two metallic sheets shot forward. Jason cried out as something heavy clasped around his feet and started to drag them down.

He urged the winds to become stronger. They were rising again! But suddenly, he felt something hard crash against him. This cold thing tightened around his body like a snake and pulled him down and down, until Jason's strength faded and they fell.

Jason couldn't move. Piper groaned and sat up. Her head was buzzing. The ground trembled as the walls declined in height.

"Sorry for the hard landing." Someone chuckled. "But we couldn't let you leave."

Piper forced herself to look up. She tasted blood, but all pain and anger disappeared when she saw the source of the voice.

They were surrounded by twelve people, but Piper and Jason were only interested in one. She stood tall despite her small stature. Her dark, curly hair was tied up. Her skin glistened with sweat.

"Oh, shit.", Jason muttered. "Hazel?"

Piper's jaw fell open, her eyes were wide as she stared in utter disbelief at the person standing in front of them. As the hallucination became real to her, her mouth closed and she got up.

"We didn't expect to... find you, Hazel...", Piper said slowly.

Hazel gave a sigh and a sign to her companions. Everyone jumped from their positions to the ground.

"Well, if it helps... I wasn't expecting to find you either."

"We're not… prisoners, are we?", Jason asked carefully.

She stared at them for a moment.

"No." she eventually answered. "But I have to ask you to come with us. If- If you say no, we'll have to use force." She swallowed and looked at them. "I don't want to do that."

Piper and Jason stood up, after he had been freed from the metal.

"Don't worry", he said and went to give his old friend a hug. "We're here on a mission"

Hazel gave a weak smile. "Nothing has changed, huh?"

Piper smiled.

"Yeah. I guess some things never change", Jason said with a chuckle.

* * *

**J**ason held her arms softly and studied her. "I can't believe how much you've grown!"

She laughed and nodded. "I know, I know! It's… been a long time."

He smiled weakly, Piper looked at her feet before she met Hazel's eyes again.

"How have you been?"

The daughter of Pluto smiled, unsettling Piper a bit. "I'm fine, thank you. And you guys?"

Jason and Piper exchanged a glance. He gently took her hand.

We're fine", and glancing at his girlfriend for confirmation, said: "We're fine, aren't we?"

Piper smiled, giving him a look only he could decipher. "Yeah. Yeah, we are."

Hazel smiled. One of her companions cleared his throat and Jason could've punched him for interrupting their moment.

"Hazel", the man carefully chipped in. "We're close…"

She sighed, nodding as she turned to face her companions.

"I know... I haven't forgotten." She turned back to her friends with a smile, but Piper noticed it was forced.

Jason felt the need to thank her for finding them. Even if she had trapped them at first.

"Thank you, Hazel", he whispered as they followed the group. "We were lost and who knows what monsters could've attacked us if he had stayed longer…"

"There are no monsters here.", Hazel said.

"What do you mean? Hazel! Wait!"

Hazel ignored him. The group had stopped their moving and stood in front of the largest, most gigantic wall Jason had ever seen.

"Every time someone crosses our borders… you could say an alarm goes off and Annabeth sends a group out to check if everything's alright. But we're protected anyway. We built a wall around the main part of the city." She grinned proudly. "My group and I built it. It's… well, it can't be breached."

Jason and Piper shuddered expectantly at the mention of Annabeth, but any questions they had were kept silent, when suddenly the group came to a halt.

A woman whispered something in her ear, but Hazel shook her head and the woman stepped aside. She stretched her fingers, rolled her shoulders to loosen her muscles.

Hazel raised her arm, feeling the earth and metal in the wall. She closed her eyes, exhaled deeply, before opening them again. She moved her arm to the side, stroking the air it seemed. The other arm joined the dance-like movements. Then, as quick as the wind, she lifted her foot and stomped down, her arms stretched to the sides.

The earth trembled and Jason watched in awe as the walls separated slowly. A cliff formed between the walls and it continued to move apart until it was wide enough for them to pass. The walls jerked loudly to a halt as the ground shook again.

Hazel and her companions walked through the entrance. Jason and Piper however stood with mouths agape, their eyes large as they stared at the walls. They caught themselves when Hazel asked if they were coming and followed them through the gate.

The walls were thick and strong. Jason suspected it would be impossible to break through them unless loads of Greek fire was used. And even then it wouldn't be enough. It would still take a lot of effort – the blood and sweat of many soldiers – to conquer the city. He shook his head inwardly. These people didn't need their help.

Hazel turned to Jason and Piper. Her face was a mask of smugness and confidence.

"Cool, right?"

Piper laughed, touching her shoulder. "Didn't know you could do that!"

"Yeah, I learned to do this when we rebuild the walls." She laughed at the memory. "Dear gods… what a horrible day…"

"What do you mean?"

"It rained the whole day. It was awful. The mud… every time I lifted a rock I slipped. And when I tried to stand up again I'd slip again. It sucked."

"And then you moved the walls.", Jason stated impressed.

"Yeah… but that wasn't until late in the night." She shook her head. "We were so tired, you have no idea. My arms and legs and my back hurt like you couldn't imagine! And the rain… the stupid rain."

"Why didn't you stop?", Piper asked. "If it was raining so hard, why didn't you leave it for another day?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. Every time I thought 'bout telling the others to stop, I'd lift a rock and think: 'Just one more and then I'm done'. And before I knew it, it was night."

"And tired." Piper smiled.

"And hurting everywhere. Angry too. Seriously, I don't think I've ever been so angry before."

"Well, I think it's impressive. And brave", Jason said. "That's how Rome was built."

"Ancient Rome or New Rome?" asked his girlfriend.

He shrugged. "Both probably."

They walked for twenty minutes. Piper noticed that the mist had followed them deeper into the city.

"What's up with the mist?" Jason asked loudly. "It's literally everywhere!"

A man, they would later get to know as Abe, turned to him.

"It protects the city"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

The man smiled. He had a pleasant way to smile, very gentle and warm. "Yeah. But don't ask where it comes from."

Jason frowned and was set to pursue the subject further. But Piper took his hand and squeezed it gently to tell him to drop it. Her boyfriend smiled weakly. The time to ask questions would come later anyway. Probably during dinner. They would have a full plate. And then the friendly, conversational questioning would start. Where are you from? How long have you been together? What do you do for a living?

Just because he grew up among strong and disciplined roman demigods, didn't mean he had no idea how regular dinners worked.

Piper's father had made sure he knew exactly how the questioning was done.

"Just ignore the mist. ", Hazel called from the front.

"Ahh, we're here", a woman sighed.

Piper's eyes widened. The annoying mist grew thinner, the walls were far behind them, now they stood facing the center of the city. There was still a lot of work to do – unfinished buildings, healing ruins and trees in the middle of the streets, but Piper could envision how great this place would become in time.

"It's amazing", she said to Hazel, who smiled proudly.

"Yup. All us", Abe said and stretched his back. "So, m'lady. If you don't mind I'd like to go and greet my family."

Hazel rolled her eyes, one of Abe's friends shoved him jokingly.

"Sure. You're dismissed." The companions cheered.

"So, do they know you're a demigod?", Jason asked.

She shrugged in response. "I'm sure they do. Though I'm not sure they know what that means."

Piper frowned. "And how do they explain your powers then?"

Hazel shrugged again. "Don't know."

"Oh." Piper felt she didn't want to talk about it. "Where are we going?"

"To the pavilion. The headquarters in a way. It's where we usually meet."

"Like the forum in New Rome", Jason said.

"Yeah, something like that. We're not that many. Enough to defend the city against robbers but…"

"Not enough to face an army?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"I guess that's why you've built the wall."

"Yeah. A city needs protection and the wall is a perfect tool."

Piper shook her head. "I can't believe the news didn't report about the wall and the city. But it's probably the work of the mist, right?"

"Yes."

"And you create the mist?", he asked curiously.

The fact that Hazel evaded his question by pointing at a building and talking about its history, made Piper nervous, disappointed and hurt her. She was confused, could not explain all the secrecy. First the mist, then the strange river and no one felt like explaining anything to them.

They and Hazel, the seven chosen demigods of the prophecy, had gone through so much, lived through suicidal quests and journeys… hadn't that brought them closer? Did Hazel not trust them? Surely, she hadn't forgotten about the Giant War?

A look at Jason was all she needed to confirm that he felt the same.

Why, Hazel? Why all the secrecy?

But Piper didn't ask. And years after she would still ask herself if the future events could have evolved differently if she had only asked more questions.

They followed their friend in silence. Neither of them tried to re-start the conversation. Piper and Jason were too hurt and confused and had hundred questions floating in their heads to try, and Hazel struggled to think for a solution to the mess she had brought herself and her friends into.

"We're here", she announced quietly as the main square.

Piper felt the heat of the campfire emanating, but what she noticed first was the soft music of a guitar. A young man stroke lazily the strings, while an older man – probably his father – groped the keys on the accordion.

Piper felt relief wash over her. Not because the music was good (they were not even really playing) but because it gave her a sign of life.

Her stomach turned painfully at the smell of freshly cooked food. She had forgotten how hungry she was.

They entered the forum as Jason called it. When the people inside saw Hazel they moved to greet her, but hesitated when they noticed the two demigods. A woman rushed her kids into a house and closed the door behind her.

What a warm welcome, Piper thought bitterly.

"Who's that, mommy?", Piper heard a girl ask her mother. The mother shushed her.

"Good afternoon, everyone!", Jason said with a polite and inviting nod.

"_We are the good guys_", Piper said with determination.

The effect was immediate. Piper was pleased as the people relaxed.

Hazel nodded. "Yeah…yes. They are fine."

"We're sorry", the man with the accordion brushed away the dust from his pants. "We're just not used to any visitors."

Piper smiled. "It's okay. _We understand_."

The man beamed and went back to his instrument.

"We were told it was safe here!" The woman with the little girl glared at the newcomers. "We were told that no one could-"

"It IS safe, Ebele. The situation hasn't changed."

Piper and Jason froze. Their eyes glanced over to the main building, searching the source of this very familiar voice.

A young woman with curly blond hair and stormy grey eyes stood at the steps to the main building. Their old friend glanced at them with her intelligent eyes, her face was serious and not at all excited to see her old friends.

"Jason, Piper, welcome to New Athens."


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter feels more like a filler and it probably is. That's why I'll update two chapters instead of one.**

**Tell me what you thought and if you have an suggestions. **

* * *

Chapter 4: To the Center of the City

**J**ason held her arms softly and studied her. "I can't believe how much you've grown!"

She laughed and nodded. "I know, I know! It's… been a long time."

He smiled weakly, Piper looked at her feet before she met Hazel's eyes again.

"How have you been?"

The daughter of Pluto smiled, unsettling Piper a bit. "I'm fine, thank you. And you guys?"

Jason and Piper exchanged a glance. He gently took her hand.

We're fine", and glancing at his girlfriend for confirmation, said: "We're fine, aren't we?"

Piper smiled, giving him a look only he could decipher. "Yeah. Yeah, we are."

Hazel smiled. One of her companions cleared his throat and Jason could've punched him for interrupting their moment.

"Miss Hazel", the man carefully chipped in. "We're close…"

She sighed, nodding as she turned to face her companions.

"I know.. I haven't forgotten." She turned back to her friends with a smile, but Piper noticed it was forced.

Jason felt the need to thank her for finding them. Even if she had trapped them at first.

"Thank you, Hazel", he whispered as they followed the group. "We were lost and who knows what monsters could've attacked us if he had stayed longer…"

"There are no monsters here.", Hazel said quietly, but he heard.

"What do you mean? Hazel! Wait!"

Hazel ignored him. The group had stopped their moving and stood in front of the largest, most gigantic wall Jason had ever seen.

"Everytime someone crosses our borders we built a wall to protect the main part of the city. It's usually me, who does all the work though."

The others stepped aside as Hazel came closer. She stretched her fingers, rolled her shoulders to loosen her muscles.

Hazel raised her arm, feeling the earth and metal in the wall. She closed her eyes, exhaled deeply, before opening them again. She moved her arm to the side, stroking the air it seemed. The other arm joined the dance-like movements. Then, as quick as the wind, she lifted her foot and stomped down, her arms stretched to the sides.

The earth trembled and Jason watched in awe as the walls separated slowly. A cliff formed between the walls and it continued to move apart until it was wide enough for them to pass. The walls jerked loudly to a halt as the ground underneath shook again.

Hazel and her companions walked through the cliff. Jason and Piper however stood with mouths agape, their eyes large as they stared at the walls. They caught themselves when Hazel asked if they were coming and followed them through the gate.

The walls were thick and strong. Jason suspected it would be impossible to break through them unless loads of greek fire were used. And even then it wouldn't be enough. It would still take a lot of effort – the blood and sweat of many soldiers – to conquer the city.

They were through. The earth swallowed the walls again.

Hazel turned to Jason and Piper. Her face was a mask of smugness and confidence.

"Cool, right?"

Piper laughed, touching her shoulder. "Didn't know you could do that!"

"Yeah, I learned to do this when we rebuild the walls." She laughed at the memory. "Dear gods… what a horrible day…"

"What do you mean?"

"It rained the whole day. It was awful. The mud… everytime I lifted a rock I'd slip. And when I tried to stand up again I'd slip again. It sucked."

"And then you moved the walls.", Jason stated impressed.

"Yeah… but that wasn't until late in the night." She shook her head. "We… were so tired, you have no idea. My arms and legs and my back hurt like you couldn't imagine. And the rain… the stupid rain."

"Why didn't you stop?", Piper asked. "If it was raining so hard, why didn't you leave it for another day?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. Everytime I thought 'bout telling the others to stop, I'd lift a rock and think: ‚Just one more and then I'm done'. And before I knew it, it was night."

"And tired." Piper smiled.

"And hurting everywhere. Angry too. Seriously, I don't think I've ever been so angry before."

"Well, I think it's impressive. And brave", Jason said. "That's how Rome was built."

"Ancient Rome or New Rome?", asked his girlfriend.

He shrugged. "Both probably."

They walked for twenty minutes. Piper noticed that the mist had followed them deeper into the city.

"What's up with the mist?", Jason asked loudly. "It's literally everywhere!"

A man, they would later get to know him as Abe, turned to him.

"It protects the city"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

The man smiled. He had a pleasant way to smile, very gentle and warm. "Yeah. But don't ask where it comes from. 'Cause we don't know either."

Piper took his hand and squeezed it gently to tell him to drop the subject. Her boyfriend smiled weakly. The time to ask questions would come later anyway. Probably during dinner. They would have a full plate. And then the friendly, conversational questioning would start. Where are you from? How long have you been together? What do you do for a living?

Just because he grew up among strong and disciplined roman demigods, didn't mean he had no idea how regular dinners worked.

Piper's father had made sure he knew exactly how the questioning was done.

„Just ignore the mist. ", Hazel called from the front.

„Ahh, we're here", a woman sighed.

Piper's eyes widened. The annoying mist grew thinner, the walls were behind them, now they stood facing the centre of the city. There was still a lot of work to do – unfinished buildings, healing ruins and trees in the middle of the streets, but Piper could invision how great this place would become in time.

„It's amazing", she said to Hazel, who smiled proudly.

„Yup. All us", Abe said and stretched his back. „So, m'lady. If you don't mind I'd like to go and greet my family."

Hazel rolled her eyes, one of Abe's friends shoved him jokingly.

„Sure. You're dismissed." The companions cheered. „Go and rest."

The group split, each member walking in different directions.

„So, do they know you're a demigod?", Jason asked.

She shrugged in response. „It never came up."

Piper frowned. „And how do they explain your powers then?"

Hazel shrugged again. „Don't know."

„Oh." Piper felt she didn't want to talk about it. „Where are we going?"

„To the pavillon. The headquarters in a way. It's where we usually meet."

„Like the forum in New Rome", Jason said.

„Yeah, something like that. We're not that many. Enough to defend the city against robbers but…"

„Not enough to face an army?"

She nodded solemnly. „Yes."

„I guess that's why you've built the wall."

„It wasn't the only reason. A city needs protection and the wall is a perfect tool."

Piper shook her head. „I can't believe the news didn't report about the wall and the city. But it's probably the work of the mist, right?"

„Yes."

„And do you create the mist?", he asked curiously.

The fact that Hazel evaded his question by pointing at a building and talking about its history, made Piper nervous, disappointed and hurt her. She was confused, could not explain all the secrecy. First the mist, then the strange river and no one felt like explaining anything to them.

They and Hazel, the seven chosen demigods of the prophecy, had gone through so much, lived through life-threatening quests and journeys… hadn't that brought them closer? Did Hazel not trust them? Surely, she hadn't forgotten about the Giant War?

A look at Jason was all she needed to confirm that he felt the same.

Why, Hazel? Why all the secrecy?

But Piper didn't ask. And years after she would still ask herself if the future events could have evolved differently if she had only asked more questions.

They followed their friend in silence. Neither of them tried to re-start the conversation. Piper and Jason were too hurt and confused and had hundred questions floating in their heads to try, and Hazel struggled to think for a solution to the mess she had brought herself and her friends into.

„We're here", she announced quietly as the main square.

Piper felt the heat of the campfire emanating, but what she noticed first was the soft music of a guitar. A young man stroke lazily the strings, while an older man – probably his father – groped the keys on the accordion.

Piper felt relief wash over her. Not because the music was good (they were not even really playing) but because it gave her a sign of life.

The smell of food made her stomach turn painfully. They had been so busy with other things that she had forgotten how hungry she really was.

They entered the forum as Jason had called it. When the people inside saw Hazel they moved to greet her, but hesitated when they noticed the two demigods. A woman rushed her kids into a house and closed the door behind her.

What a warm welcome, Piper thought bitterly.

„Who's that, mommy?", Piper heard a girl ask her mother. The mother shushed her.

„Good afternoon, everyone!", Jason said with a polite and inviting nod.

"We are the good guys", Piper said with determination.

The effect was immediate. Piper was pleased as the people relaxed.

Hazel nodded. "Yeah…yes. They are fine."

"We're sorry", the man with the accordion brushed away the dust from his pants. "We're just not used to any visitors."

Piper smiled. "It's okay. We understand."

The man beamed and went back to his instrument.

"We were told it was safe here!" The woman with the little girl glared at the newcomers. "We were told that no one could-"

"It IS safe, Ebele. The situation hasn't changed."

Piper and Jason froze. Their eyes shot to the main building, searching the source of this very familiar voice.

A young woman with curly blond hair and stormy grey eyes stood at the steps to the main building. Their old friend glanced at them with her intelligent eyes, her face was serious and not at all excited to see her old friends.

"Jason, Piper, welcome to my city."

"I didn't know, Annabeth", Hazel said tiredly. "I'm sorry."

* * *

**Honestly, I don't like this chapter. I don't remember why I wrote it or why. Maybe to show that Piper and Jason are not welcome. I don't know.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This is a more centered on Piper. She plays an important role in the story. I don't hate her. She's not my favorite character, but I always thought her powers are the most dangerous.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Irrational Emotions

"It's been a long time"

Annabeth bit her lip and nodded. "Yes."

"And what… how's life been for you?"

Hazel and Annabeth glanced at each other.

"Crazy", Hazel replied. She breathed a laugh.

"Yeah", Annabeth looked at her hands. "But it's turned okay."

"And… Percy and Frank?"

"They are fine", they said in unison.

Piper raised an eyebrow. "And where are they?"

"They are in town", Hazel answered. "But you won't get to see them tonight. They are busy."

"Oh…" Piper was disappointed. "And why?"

"They've got work to do." The daughter of Pluto offered her breadsticks. "Want any?"

"Y..No, thank you."

"How long have you been here?", Jason insisted. "The construction zones and all that stuff! You must've been here for a few years now!"

"A couple of years." Annabeth smiled proudly. "We've rebuilt this city with our own hands."

He grinned. "Well, that's really impressive. You've got a cool thing going on here"

"I know. Thank you."

A strange silence spread across them. Hazel spread butter on a breadstick.

"Butter?".

"Thanks." Jason grabbed the plate. "Piper?"

She shook her head. Annabeth stood up, dragging the chair with her. She clapped her hands.

"Do you want me to show you to your rooms?"

Piper jumped to her feet. "Yes! I'm tired. We're tired, aren't we? Jason?"

Jason had his mouth open, the bread half in his mouth. He frowned. "Yeah, but I'm eating first."

Hazel chuckled. "You can take it with you." She stood up as well and stroked her jacket straight. She gave Annabeth a nod. "I've got work to do."

"I've got it. Say hi to Frank!"

"I will if I find him."

* * *

**P**iper paced across the room, her hands flailing around to express herself stronger. Meanwhile, Jason sat on his bed, getting out of his shoes and polishing his glasses.

"Are you listening to me, Jason?"

"Yes, I AM, Piper." He put his glasses on top of his nose and leaned back. "I still don't get what the fuss is all about!"

"So you _didn't_ listen to me."

"Piper…"

"No!" She huffed, clenching her fist. "Look, it's not me being paranoid. It's just… didn't it bother you how… secretive Hazel and Annabeth were around us?"

He shrugged. "So what? They were surprised to see us! Besides, you would be careful to if you were rebuilding a city."

She laughed coldly. "Not if I was dealing with old _friends_, Jason!"

Jason closed his eyes and sighed as he tried not to get angry.

"Piper, I think… are you angry at them because they didn't welcome us like you expected?".

Piper stopped her frantic pacing.

"No…" She shook her head at Jason's raised eyebrow. "No. It's not that."

"They were being secretive, Piper, because… it's been six years. Piper." Jason's eyes turned sad, nostalgic at the memory of the past. "People change. We're not the same people we used to be."

She turned her back on him. It was silent for a few moments and he began to ask himself if he should stand up and hug her.

"I know…", she whispered so softly he almost didn't hear. "But that's not why I'm so…so… why I have this strange, bad feeling." She swallowed heavily and turned to her boyfriend, her eyes were glassy. "No one hides good things. And they are hiding something big, Jason."

Jason sighed. He raised his arms and beckoned her to come to him. She did and they hugged.

"I know how you feel, Piper.", he said softly. "I don't like how much we've grown apart from the others either, you know?" He looked deeply into her eyes. "But just because you- just because we don't understand why they are behaving like this, doesn't mean they're doing or hiding something bad."

Piper sighed and moved away from him. She heard Jason sigh again. He did that a lot lately. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and headed to the door.

"I need fresh air."

Piper did not go outside. Angry because Jason didn't seem to want to understand her and angry at Hazel and Annabeth, who treated them like strangers, she left Jason's room with the plan to have a look at the house they were staying in.

Annabeth had mentioned she and the others lived here, but spent most of their time outside because there was so much work to do. Annabeth was the only one, who often stayed behind to manage the city.

Piper walked down the stairs to the second floor. She knew Annabeth lived there. A shiver ran up her spine and Piper rubbed her arms. She looked around and was not surprised to see an open window. She got closer to shut it, but froze when a black bird with a white belly landed on the window ledge. The bird froze as well, staring at her with its dark eyes before it flew off again.

Piper leaned out of the window, frowning to identify the animal in the darkness of the night. Her face fell and she lowered her head as she sighed. She ran a hand over her face.

"Mother, what's going on here?", she whispered into the night, hoping desperately her mother would appear next to her. "I need your help… am I… am I making everything up? I-is there something wrong with me?"

She tensed when a pair of arms embraced her from behind.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Piper", Jason whispered into her ear.

Suddenly all strenght left her body and he had to hold her, before she dropped to the floor. He held her closely. She returned the hug.

"Oh, Jason…", she cried as tears spilled from her eyes.

He stroked her dark hair, gently shushing her. "It's going to be okay. You'll see."

She nodded, still crying.

"It's everything alright?"

The couple let go of each other and Jason, turning to Hazel, said:

"It's been a rough day."

She nodded, glancing at Piper worriedly. "You should go to sleep.", she suggested. "We'll show you around tomorrow."

Jason smiled. "That would be nice. We're looking forward to it."

Hazel smiled. "Good night". The tone in her voice told them that it was time to go to their rooms.

"Come on.", he said softly to Piper. "I'll stay with you if you want."

She smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, Jason."

"It's okay. We'll talk tomorrow."

"But you did well", she said. "When you talked to her. You sure you aren't a charmspeaker?"

He laughed. "I'm sure."

"Well, she certainly didn't insist on knowing why I was there."

"She probably didn't want to complicate things any further. Besides, people believe what you tell them if it's what they want to hear."

She smiled.

"But that's why you're so scary-"

"I'm scary?"

"Yeah! Imagine how horrifying it must be, to be told to do something and you do it even if you don't want to!"

"I- I guess it is terrifying. I never thought about it that way.", she mused. "I only ever-"

"-use it when it's necessary?"

"Yeah"

"And that's why I'm so glad you're on my side.", Jason explained as they walked into her room. "Because bad people have used their power before, because they thought it was necessary."

"You're scaring me", she said jokingly, but turned serious. "I really hope I won't turn into that."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I won't let that happen to you. But only if you do the same with me."

She smiled and met his eyes. "Deal."

They slept in. When Piper woke up, she was confused as to where she was. But a few seconds passed and she remembered where she and Jason where.

Piper ran a hand through her hair as she eyed herself in the mirror. Her eyes were reddened a little from sleep. They had slept long and soundly, no nightmare disturbed their sleep. And yet Piper felt more tired than the night before.

„You coming, Piper?" Jason stood already at the door. His hair was damp from the shower he'd taken a few minutes before.

She smiled tiredly. „Yeah. Go ahead. I'll be right with you."

He gave a short nod and left.

Piper sighed, then wondered why she hadn't left with him.

She opened the door and stepped out to the hall. The door fell closed behind her as she walked down the hallway, heading down the stairs. As she walked down, Piper heard someone's steps getting closer. Instinctively, Piper leaned her back against the inner wall and carefully and quietly peeked around the wall.

Her breath caught in her throat and a smile graced her lips. She recognized the figure. She would have recognized him even if she hadn't met him before. The greek campers still gushed about him once in a while.

He stomped up the staircase, but he turned left when he reached the first floor. Percy looked the same as ever, his facial features were only more pronounced, making him look astoundingly similar to his father.

Piper shortly wondered if the gods had any say in their children's appareances.

Percy had a light stubble, his eyes gleamed green in the morning light.

She shook herself from her stupor and raced down the stairs.

"Percy!", she yelled.

He didn't listen. He opened a door and was about to close it, when Piper threw herself against the door.

"Percy!", she cried. „Wait! It's me!"

Suddenly a great, unfamiliar and frightening force gripped her from the inside of her body and shoved her against the wall. The door closed. Percy wasn't there.

Piper kneeled against the wall. Her breathing was ragged, she couldn't move. Tears welled in her eyes. She began to wonder if she had just imagined Percy, but she discarded that thought. She was 100% sure Percy had not been a product of her imagination.

She brushed the tears from her eyes and struggled to her feet. A strangled sob escaped her throat, but she bit her lip to stop her crying.

Piper walked down the stairs, feeling like the world had conspired against her. First Hazel, then Annabeth and now Percy. Next would be Frank.

She took her deep breath before she entered the dining hall. Jason, Hazel and Annabeth were having a conversation about the architecture of the city and Piper longed to join them. She brushed the tears away, she forced a smile that would convince even the most decieving and intelligent god and greeted her friends.

* * *

**I'm very pleased with how the chapter ended. The beginning was a pain to write, but I felt that the more I wrote , the easier the rest of this chapter got.**

**Please tell me what you think! Your reviews are really encouraging and it motivates me to write.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Power of Charms 

Eyes wide and mouths open, Piper and Jason followed Annabeth and Hazel through the streets and alleys of the city. They were greeted by the citiziens, who were busy with the reconstruction of the buildings and other tasks. They dodged running children, skipped over broken rocks and timber, while trying to pay attention to what Annabeth was saying.

"Is it just me or have they multiplied?", Piper murmured into Jason's ear. He looked around, nodding slightly.

"It's early in the morning. They were probably in their homes when we arrived."

Piper turned her head to the sides, studying everything and everyone with a light frown on her face. Needless to say, she wasn't convinced by Jason's explanation. Annabeth called her.

"Piper!", she yelled. "You coming or not?"

She shook her head to clear her mind from all the negativity. Jason probably didn't see it, but Piper was really trying to overcome this sudden loss of trust. It was just very difficult. She thought about her behaviour as she followed her friends, but could not find any satisfying explanation.

"Mother, please", she prayed quietly. "Please help me! Am I just being paranoid?"

Jason didn't suspect anything. He was hurt by Annabeth and Hazel's secrecy and stiff welcome, and he obviously missed Frank and his best bro Percy, but the sudden presence of the many citizen or the disappearance of the mist or the cursed river flowing down the mountains didn't make him suspicious.

Now Piper was hurt by her boyfriend as well. And that only made her feel worse about herself.

Tears welled up in her eyes. It surprised her slightly. She gasped and quickly wiped at her eyes, before anyone noticed. Her breath was shallow. Her lungs struggled to breathe and every step seemed to weigh a ton. She had to sit down, or lay down. It didn't matter where as long as her friends and Jason didn't see her.

She practically crawled into the closest empty alley and fell on the nearest rock. She sat there, shoulders shaking with sobs and her face burried in her hands. She didn't know really why she was crying. Maybe there were too many reasons to know. And perhaps every reason was connected to another one.

All she knew was how her chest and throat hurt every time a sob forced itself out. She felt her heart beating frantically and her mind racing with memories, thoughts and images. She did not know, was she going crazy?

All she wanted was a hug, a kind, unfamiliar person to stay by her side as she cried. That person didn't have to say anything or even touch her consoling. All she wanted was someone - _anyone -_ to be with her and PLEASE understand her.

"You alright, girl?"

Piper gasped and whirled around to see the source of the voice. Abe stood at the door of the ruin. He eyes her with worried curiosity.

"Is everything alright?", he repeated.

She looked away, a sob breaking through her throat. She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.

"Did someone hurt you?" He was closer now.

Piper shook her head. Tears pilled from her eyes, she closed them to stop them from falling, but the more she tried, the more she cried.

Suddenly Abe laid a conforting hand on her shoulder, whispering softly: "Then why are you sad?"

Piper broke down sobbing and without realizing it, threw her arms over his shoulders and hugged him. She needed comfort, a warm hug, kind words. She sobbed into his shoulder for quite a while and he stayed with her during the whole time. He rubbed her back, murmuring kind words of comfort into her ear as she started to calm down.

Finally Piper broke the hug. She wiped the tears from her face. Her eyes were a bit swollen and reddened from crying, but they cleared with newfound determination.

"You - uh, wanna talk about it?", Abe asked.

Piper smiled sweetly at the man, who blushed and turned shyly away from her.

"You are very nice to me, Abe."

Abe smiled, blushing even harder if it was possible. He muttered something.

"I am very grateful-"

"It was nothing, miss.", he rushed to say.

She raised a hand and he fell silent. "No.", she said determinately. "You need to hear this. I'm not the easiest person to be around, I know that. I… I worry too much and to quickly. Random things can make me suspicious and paranoid. I don't know why that is and I've tried – I still try to control that."

"There's nothing wrong about worrying, ma'am. It's only natural."

"Yes, maybe. But… Abe. Jason and I, we recently came across two great, old friends. I obviously didn't expect everything to be the way they used to, but…" She sighed. "They were so…"

"Different?" Abe nodded understanding. "I know how you feel. I've been through that before."

Piper smiled in relief. "And what did you do?"

He shrugged and looked down, shrugged again. "You try to get to know them again. It's… like rebooting a movie. There will be things you're familiar with, but other aspects will be different." He met her eyes. "The success of the – the movie depends on your ability to accept the changes."

"Oh…"

"Sometimes the changes are a warning. Not eveyone changes in a good way. Sometimes you have to- to let go of… of your friend or he'll drag you down with him."

Now it was Piper's turn to look away. The conversation had turned more personal than she expected. She felt curious, but resisted the urge to ask him what had happened between him and his friend and how his friend had changed for worse.

"I'm sorry", she whispered.

Abe shook his head and waved his hand.

"It's alright. I'm alright. But… it is sad. And sometimes I think whether or not I could've done something to – to change things."

They fell in silence. It was Abe, who broke the ice.

He lightly clapped her knee and smiled.

"So, how you liking the city?", he asked with a wide grin. "I bet it's a lot to take in, huh?"

Piper let out a loud, genuine laugh. She nodded. "Yeah, it is." And taking the opportunity that he had touched the subject on the city, she asked: "I'm just surprised no one's reported about it. I mean… something so big and impressive cannot stay hidden for so long!"

He nodded.

"That's the work of the mist."

"Yes, but doesn't it annoy you?"

"Not really. Once you're in, the mist disappeares. It only hides the city when strangers come close."

"Oh. I thought you had some sort of mechanism to avoid getting seen."

"Well, the mist is a mechanism. Hazel-" He hesitated.

Piper smiled at him.

"You can tell me. I can and will keep a secret."

"It's – it's not really a secret. Everyone knows that Miss Hazel strenghtens the mist."

"So, she doesn't create it?"

Abe shook his head.

"No. But the mist would disappear over time if it wasn't for her. We need it working 24/7 to hide us from view."

"I understand." She paused. "And.. the river?"

Piper noticed how Abe stiffened.

"What about it?"

"Well… there are two of them. And you only use one. You avoid the other one. The one that comes from the mountain."

Abe didn't answer. Piper sighed and turned to him.

"Abe.", she said serious and pronounced every word. "You can tell me. I won't tell."

"The river you-" He coughed. She nodded encourangingly. "It's sacred."

"So I was told."

"Really?", Abe cried out in shock. "Who told you?"

Piper shrugged indifferently. "Some random guy. Jason - my boyfriend - was about to drink it - " She observed how Abe stiffened and his eyes widened.  
"-when he showed up. He was really angry. Why would he be angry? Jason did nothing to desecrate the river you hold so dear."

"I..."

She smiled at him. "It's okay", she said calmly. "You can tell me"

"I can tell you." He shook himself and let out a deep breath. "I can tell you", he repeated. "No one's supposed to drink from it unless on special holidays, you know? Or when a child is born. Then it's entire family can drink from the pond -"

"There is a pond?"

"Yeah. There is this cave in the mountains where we hold the ceremonies. It's really beautiful. The sun shines in and there's a pond. I think it's the only place _inside_ a mountain where a tree can grow."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Go on, tell me about the pond and the newborn children.", she urged him on.

"Yeah. Well, when a child is born, the family can drink from it and the mother bathes the child with the water from the pond. It blesses the child in a way with-" He made a choking sound.

Piper lay a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright", she whispered softly. "No need to hurry"

"Tell me _more_"

Abe groaned.

"Yes... The child gets a gift. It depends on his guardian - the person, who will teach him how to use that gift. Because the child always recieves the same gift as the guardian."

Piper's eyebrows shot up. A shudder ran down her spine.

Abe coughed again. He let out a groan and gripped his head.

"I don't feel so good."

"You feel good, Abe", she said convincingly.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

"I... I feel good."

"Do only... children recieve that blessing?". She had to know.

"Y-yes."

She didn't believe him, although she felt he had said the truth.

"What do you do with Hazel? Do you go hunting or what?"

His tongue tightens in his mouth, but her words charmed him to loosen his tongue.

"We hunt sometimes. But not often. We patrol... And- and we practice ea- the art of fighting."

Piper raises an eyebrow. "The art of fighting?"

Abe closes his eyes. His skin takes a greenish tone as if he was trying not to vomit.

"Anything else, Abe?"

"I don't know.", he says quietly and rubs his temples. "I don't feel very good."

She gently rubs his back, looks up at the dark clouds. "It's probably the weather."

"I hope so."

Abe stood up with a groan. He stretched his back and walked away. Piper stood up, bile rose in her throat.

"Abe, wait!"

He stopped and turned to her.

She hugged him almost violently. She looked up, her eyes were glassy again and her face sad.

"I'm sorry", she said.

She didn't wait for him to ask why. She couldn't have lied if he had. Piper rushed passed him, walked quickly down the street. She was headed to the headquarters, where she and Jason were staying. She doubted her friends had returned from the city-tour, but that was alright with her. The last thing she needed now was more questions.

_I am a terrible person_, Piper thought miserably as she fell with her back on her bed. She rubbed her cheek. I am a horrible, monstrous person.

She saw Abe's face, his curious, but kind gaze when he asked her what was wrong. He had been so kind, kinder than she would ever deserve, and what did she do? A tremble ran through her body as she recalled what she had done - how she had used her powers against a man, a kind, unfamiliar person, who had offered consolation to a woman, who'd been holding her tears for way too long. She was a terrible person.

Had she been a character from a book, Piper would have never forgiven this character. But she, Piper, was real. Not fictional. And that was a terrible fact. For what was done, could not be undone. She had used her powers in a cowardly way, to get information in the worst moment possible. And against the only person, who had offered comfort. He had been the only person, who had truly listened.

Was this how people felt before they turned completely into villains? Was she on her way of becoming one?

Piper shook her head. She had done something terrible. But that did not make her a villain yet. She had time and many possibilities to redeem herself.

She forced herself to sit up on her bed. The matress squeaked beneath her.

A knock at her door made her look up from her hands.

„Yes?"

Hesitantly the door opened and Jason peeked inside. A warm smile graced his mouth when her eyes met his.

„Hey, we're back", he said cheerfully. „Uh, can I-"

Piper smiled and waved him in. He grinned at her and sat next to her. He laid an arm around her and kissed her head.

„I missed you"

She smiled weakly, it was barely noticeable, but Jason did and did not like it. His eyebrows narrowed and he pulled her chin up, so that she was looking at him again.

„Everything.. alright?", he asked carefully.

Piper shook her head. „I'm fine, Jason. Don't -" She could finish the sentence.

„Are you sure?", he insisted. „You look… different."

„Do I look bad?"

Jason laughed. „You _can't_ look bad, Piper."

„Yeah, my mother made sure of that." She tried, and failed to sound indifferent.

„It's not a bad thing", he said.

„I didn't say it wasn't."

„You implied it." He shook his head. „Whatever. Are you sure you're okay?"

„Yes. I'm okay"

_No, I'm not._

„You look… sad, Piper." Jason lifted a finger and traced the lines of her face. Her features always fascinated him. The shape and ever-changing color of her eyes, her nose and her soft lips. Her cheekbones, her chin and her round ears.

Damn, he loved that woman too much for his own good.

„Did something happen?", he asked softly. „Is it the Annabeth- and Hazel-thing?"

Piper refused to look at him and it hurt. Strange enough, he didn't find himself angry or impatient, but sad, sad, sad. There was no other word to describe it. He wanted to help her, make her smile again. Something had unsettled her, disturbed and shocked her deeply, and Jason was _trying_ to understand. He tried to read her, but he couldn't. He hated this, not being able to help the person he wanted to make happy.

„Piper…", he whispered, his voice breaking. „Please tell me. I want to-"

„You can't help me, Jason", she muttered so quietly that he almost didn't hear. „There's nothing you can do."

Now he was really worried.

„Piper… what-"

„It's done.", she said and jumped to her feet, wiping the tears from her eyes. „But I need to tell you what I found out about the city."

Jason sat up straighter.

„Me too", he said. „They told me a lot about the city when they showed me around."

Piper nodded.

„Okay." She took a deep breath. „I talked to Abe, one of Hazel's…. companions."

Piper proceeded to tell him everything she'd found out during the questioning a few hours before. She did not leave out any detail.

Jason listened intently, his sparkling blue eyes never left hers. He felt more than knew that Piper was keeping something from him. And the more she told about what Abe had said, the surer he was that she had used his powers to get to information. He was shocked that she would do something like that to a stranger, someone who was not a threat. But nevertheless, he chose to forget it for the moment.

Jason was about to tell her what he had found out, but Hazel peeked in and told them that dinner was almost ready. The couple decided to continue this conversation later.

* * *

**I am proud of this chapter. I think it shows where Piper is at right now. And what she's done to Abe will have consequences in the story. **

**Please review! I NEED to know what you think! **


	7. Chapter 7

_Again, this chapter ended being longer than I intended. But I promise next chapter will have more action. _

* * *

Chapter 7: Dinner Gone Wrong

**J**ason's foot tapped nervously. The papers felt heavy in his pocket. His mind constantly repeated the numbers and words that were written in the piece of paper. The demigod was both anxious and excited. He could not wait to finally see Percy and Frank again, but he was aware that the longer he kept Annabeth's plans with him, the more likely it was to be discovered that he, Jason Grace, had "stolen" something from Annabeth's office. Which was ridiculous. He would never steal something that didn't belong to him. He only borrowed it when he found her office and then tried to find something that could prove Piper's suspicions.

Needless to say, Jason found something. And he was sure Annabeth would be livid if she found out he had borrowed something without asking her first.

He wondered how long the dinner would be, before they could go to their rooms. He needed to talk to Piper urgently.

The dining room was nicely decorated. Annabeth had put candles at the center of the table. The smell coming from the kitchen was mouth-watering and the two demigods sat down, licking their lips hungrily.

Hazel walked in soon after with their old friend Frank in tow. Jason and Piper let out a gasp and jumped to their feet to hug their missing friend.

"Frank!"

Frank didn't have time to blink before the two threw themselves at him.

"Holy-"

"Man, where have you been?"

"Gods, we missed you!"

Hazel watched them, giggling. "Guys, let him breathe."

They sat on the table, stumbling over their words as they tried to catch up the six years they've been apart. One time, Hazel excused herself from them and went to the kitchen, only to come back with a basket with bread.

"Annabeth says it'll take a few minutes."

"It's okay", Jason said as he grabbed a piece of bread.

"Don't eat too much", Piper warned. "There's still dinner."

Frank laughed at the son of Jupiter.

Suddenly the door sprung open and Percy jumped in. He held his arms wide.

"Jason!", he yelled.

The named one got over his surprise quickly. He jumped from his chair and stormed over to his old friend and they hugged each other.

"Percy!", he shouted.

Piper, Hazel and Frank looked at each other, smirking as they stood up as well.

"Hello, Percy", Piper said as they hugged.

"Piper, beautiful as always, huh?" His eyes twinkled.

She gave him a playful shove. "Always the charmer, huh?"

"Trying to improve. Annabeth doesn't notice me enough."

"That's not true, Percy.", Annabeth answered, grinning as she carried the food to the table. "You know I appreciate your efforts."

He pouted. "Well, you could put more effort in appreciating."

"Oh, that smells delicious, Annabeth!", Jason groaned.

She gave him a wide smile. "Thanks! I got the recipe from a friend."

"Yeah, she used to be a like a professional cook at restaurants and stuff", Percy explained as he served the food.

"Percy, the guests come first."

Everyone fell silent and stared at Percy. He mouthed an 'oh' and finished serving food onto _his_ plate, _before_ taking Piper's.

"Tell me, when to stop", he said.

Jason, Hazel and Frank sniggered at the look Annabeth gave him.

Dinner went smoothly. They mostly talked about what happened during the time they were separated.

Annabeth and Percy had literally stumbled into this ghost town and decided promptly to stay. Hazel and Frank followed soon after when their friends didn't return to New Rome after seven months.

What Piper didn't expect was to discover that their friends hadn't been the first people to move in. About thirty other people had already installed themselves in that city and started to build a new life.

However, something in their story was missing. Piper found that Hazel and Frank became rigid and Annabeth's telling a bit monotonous, as if she was reciting her lines.

What assured her in her rising suspicious was Jason asking about the river.

"There was this man, who stopped me from drinking from the river", he explained. He noticed Percy looking up from his food. "Got really angry. Started yelling… said something about the river being – sacred." He raised his eyebrows.

His friends laughed hollow.

"Haha, right.", Frank smiled stiffly.

Jason turned to Percy.

"Percy?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"You're the waterguy here", he said. „Aquaman-"

Percy groaned and ruffled his hair. "Dear gods, no!"

He grinned. "But seriously, if there's anyone who knows what's up it's you!"

His mouth quirked up and he turned away.

"The river's fine. And the old man's alright too. Though his temper is a bit.. yeah...", he said finally, meeting Jason's eyes. "I wouldn't drink from it, though. It's not clean."

The son of Jupiter laughed and clapped on his back. His eyes met Piper's,

_Ask him about the ritual when children are born_, her eyes said.

_You're the charmspeaker!You should be the one doing all the talking!_, he yelled in his mind.

The silent conversation ended with Piper rolling her eyes. She sighed and Jason drank his coke. His girlfriend was about to start a conversation, but the daughter of Athena beat her to it.

"How did you get here?", she asked while toying with the wineglass.

Jason and Piper exchanged a glance. He shrugged and decided to answer.

"By accident really.", he said honestly. "We're actually lost when we found your place and then-"

"Then we got more lost when we decided to go exploring", Piper finished.

Annabeth nodded with a small smile. The others were conspicuously silent.

"Are you on vacation?", she asked.

"No"

"Yes."

Piper and Jason looked at each other without meaning to. Percy stirred from his seat. He took a deep breath, running a hand through his black hair as he met Frank's eyes. Hazel stood up and left the room.

There was a terrible long felt silence, which stretched more and more as the intruders tried to come up with an excuse.

Annabeth chuckled quietly.

"Don't try come up with excuses", she said, breaking the silence. "It's of no use and it will only make things more difficult for everyone involved."

"Why are you really here?", she asked.

"I said it was an accident", Piper said.

"No one gets here by accident", Frank chimed in.

Annabeth breathed a smile. "He's right. Are you on a mission?"

Jason took a deep breath and nodded at Piper. She took something out of her bag.

"We're here to warn you.", he said as Piper laid Rachel's folder on the table.

Percy leaned closer. "What's-"

"This, Percy, is Rachel's prophecy."

Percy opened the folder and started studying the drawings. His gaze turned serious.

"How do you know- did Rachel draw the prophecy? What's supposed to happen?", Frank asked as Percy handed his girlfriend the drawing of the burning castle.

"She – Rachel had just a dream, but she feels that's important. That's why we're here.", Jason explained.

"To warn us…"

"Yes. And to offer you our help."

Annabeth handed the drawings to Frank.

"Thank you, but we won't need it.", she said curtly, brushing a few strands from her face.

Jason's eyebrows narrowed a little.

"But-"

"Annabeth, don't be foolish.", Piper said heatedly. "If Rachel's dream is going to happen – and she's sure it will happen – you're going to need our help! I mean, look! Didn't you see the pictures? Don't you see the horror that's awaiting you?"

Silence spread across the room. The candles flickered nervously as everyone present waited for the other to break the ice.

Finally, Jason couldn't take it any longer. He sat up straighter and put his hands on the table to emphasize what he was about to say.

"Look-", he started. "I – I get why you don't want our help. Seriously, I've been there before. But, guys… this is not about a small group of people. We're talking about protecting an entire city from an upcoming threat! Percy. Annabeth. Frank… guys… this is not only about you"

"We know it's not only about us, thank you.", Frank said stiffly as he stood up. "I think I can speak for all of us when I say that I'm very grateful for your warning -"

Piper pinched the bridge of her nose.

"But…?"

He shrugged. "But as Annabeth said: we don't need your help."

Jason and Piper stared at him in disbelief.

"I know it's not what you want to hear. But believe me, it's almost impossible for a single person to get here – let alone a fully armed army!" He shook his head. "And even if they found our location, they'd have to get through the city walls AND our additional safety measures."

"In summary, we are prepared. ", Annabeth finished.

Jason looked at Percy, who had surprisingly kept out of the discussion.

"You can't – what do you think, Perce?", he asked.

Everyone's attention turned immediately to the son of Poseidon. Percy sighed and rubbed his forehead. After a few minutes of silence – he took his time – he said:

"We… we don't need your help. We're strong. And powerful. Frank's right. No one comes in without us noticing. But I promise you, Jason, if we ever needed help, you would be the first person we'd turn to."

And then Jason was prepared to drop the subject. Piper, however, wasn't. She, unlike her boyfriend, had noticed the worried and also angry glances Frank and Annabeth had given each other.

"Are you sure? It's not that I don't believe you're prepared for the worst, but this is war we're talking about.", she said. "Things get out of hand very quickly. Plans change. People die! And as far as we've seen you don't have the numbers to hold this city."

Jason stiffened in his seat. He shot his girlfriend a look. His fingers wandered to his pocket, where he kept the paper.

Frank turned to Annabeth.

"I think it's time to call it a night, Annabeth.", he said lowly.

She sighed and nodded. "You're right.", she responded. "We're tired and I'm scared to overreact or misunderstand what you're saying, Piper, Jason."

She emptied her glass and put it down. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she finished: "I think this conversation is over. It's time to go to-"

"No, it's not over.", Piper said.

Their eyes met, blazing. From the corner of her eyes, Piper noticed Frank stiffen. Percy left the dining room.

Annabeth licked her lips, her eyes staring coldly at her friend. "Okay..", she said, almost in defeat. But if there was something Jason and Piper knew about her, then that she never gave up. She always had a backup plan.

She led them to the Council's House. The ten minute walk stretched as they crossed path with other people.

The heavy doors to the Council's House were wide open. They walked through them, the light blinding them a little.

There was a wooden, very large table in the middle of the room with chairs surrounding them. Three men stood around the farther end of the table, leaning over a large plan. Hazel was with them, nodding as one of the men talked frantically to her.

Annabeth cleared her throat and the others looked up. The men straightened their backs and bowed their head politely.

"We were discussing the-"

"Not now, Hazel.", she snapped and motioned the others to leave them. "Please."

The friends followed Annabeth to the last floor. From there they had a perfect view of the entire city. The buildings looked small, everything seemed peaceful. There were many construction zones.

"Don't know why we have this room, but Annabeth wanted it so…" Frank shrugged.

"Well, you have to admit the view is awesome", Hazel said.

Annabeth closed the door behind her and stepped to the windows.

"What do you see?", she asked.

Jason shrugged. "The city." He felt Piper's elbow hitting his arm.

"The mist is covering the outer wall far away.", she said.

Annabeth nodded absentmindedly. Hazel sighed and stepped closer to the windows. She raised her hands.

Suddenly the mist began to fade slowly. Buildings, more and more of them appeared from the veil until the outer wall – the highest Jason had ever seen – was no longer visible.

"Oh my gods…", Piper gasped.

Jason turned to Annabeth after recovering from the surprise.

"You're not as far ahead from finishing the constructions are you?", he said. "That's why – you are prepared because… because you already have an army"

Their friend didn't answer, so Hazel did for her.

"Yes."

"Who… how- how many? And since when?"

"Frank's training them."

Frank nodded quietly.

"Yes, but… but…" Jason shook his head and had to sit down on a chair. He grabbed his head.

"I think what Jason is trying to say is why you think it is necessary to hide the outer parts of the city and the army.", Piper said suddenly, her words radiating power.

This time it was Frank, who answered.

"Since you're not one of us-"

Jason snorted. "Man, we fought side by side! We fought against giants and you're saying-"

"No! We are friends! You are one of us but what I mean is that it's not like that. You know, it's -"

"Answer my question, Frank", Piper commanded.

The demigod jumped. "Yes. I – well, you're not part of the-"

Hazel jumped in front of her boyfriend. Her body had taken a defensive posture.

"You're charmspeaking him!", she cried, glaring at her furiously.

Piper said nothing, but met her gaze with the same intensity. Behind her, Jason got up to her feet. His eyes were cold. He put a hand on Piper's shoulder.

"We're leaving", he said coldly.

Annabeth nodded. "You should.", she said. "But first you'll have to swear to not tell anybody about our city."

"_I will not_", Piper hissed, startling her friends with the venom in her voice.

"You can't stop us from leaving.", Jason said. "You can't force us to keep quiet."

Frank stiffened and covered his face. But Annabeth and Hazel looked at them with intensity.

"Then you can't leave.", Hazel said and crossed her arms.

Jason couldn't believe he was hearing right. He shook his head, trying to keep the anger at bay.

"You can't stop us", he said with shaky voice.

His girlfriend opened her mouth, but Frank opened the door and motioned them to leave.

"Then leave.", he said. "We'll lead you to the gate."

Jason eyed him warily, but Piper nodded and walked through the door.


	8. Chapter 8

_Finally! I've been waiting to post this chapter since I started writing this story! It was a lot of fun to write this. _

* * *

Chapter 8: No Way Out

**T**hey didn't speak to each other while Frank led them to the exit. After a few minutes they finally got to the entrance hall.

It was night. The columns looked like copper under the light of the lamps. Their steps echoed in the silence.

Piper gazed with heavy eyes at the beautiful interior. It was sad that they had to leave under these circumstances. She wished it was different, but it wasn't their fault the hosts were so unfriendly.

Annabeth halted.

"This is where I leave you", she said and looked at her watch. "It's late and I want to check something before I go to sleep." She made a step closer to Jason and Piper, whose looks were stern and filled with anger and disappointment. "I… I'm sorry… that we didn't meet under better circumstances"

"_You_ caused the circumstances.", Piper replied coldly.

Annabeth opened her mouth, but closed it after a short moment. She gave a curt nod and turned around. They watched her leave slowly.

"So.", Hazel said with a sigh. "Lead the way, Jason."

He turned without giving their friend a second glance and walked to the exit. The heavy doors were wide open and a soft breeze blew and cooled their heated faces. Jason was close, his girlfriend right behind him. Ten more steps forward and they would have been outside in the darkness.

They didn't get far.

Frank stopped abruptly. His eyes caught something. Unashamedly he stared at Jason's backside or, to be more explicit, he stared at the white rag stuffed in his friend's pocket. He frowned and pulled the white thing out.

Jason gasped and whirled around. He patted his pockets frantically and his blue eyes widened when he remembered that he had forgotten to put the paper back in Annabeth's office.

"Frank…", he said hoarsely. He didn't mean to forget.

"What's this?", Frank asked and unfolded the paper. His eyebrows narrowed as he read what was written. His girlfriend looked alternately between Jason and Frank.

"What is it?", she asked curiously.

Jason was desperate. His heart was racing and the blood rushed to his face.

"Frank, I can explain.", he started.

Frank's face changed color, first he turned grey like ash, then red. Harshly, he threw the plan at his girlfriend, who caught it.

"Where did you get it?", he fumed. A shudder went through his body. "How-"

"It – It's not what it looks like!", Jason said.

"What's going on?", Piper asked worriedly. "Jason, what did you-"

"Your boyfriend stole this from Annabeth's office!", Hazel cried, shaking the fist that held the paper. She gave him a cold stare. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?"

Jason was shaking his head. "No", he said. "Nonono, Hazel. I forgot to put it back, that's it. There was no plan behind it."

Annabeth, who heard the noise they were making, rushed downstairs.

"What's the problem?", she asked loudly. "Weren't you leaving?"

"Annabeth!", Frank cried and waved the paper at her. She paled and stumbled backwards. "They stole the plans!"

Annabeth, breathing heavily, turned to face their uninvited guests. Her eyes were cold and seemed to transfer all the anger at them.

"You stole from us?". Her voice was raspy, almost a whisper and yet loud as thunder.

Jason shook his head. "She's got nothing to do with this", he said, referring to Piper. "It was all my fault, Annabeth. I didn't mean to do anything with it. I accidentally stumbled into your office and I… well, I looked around and when I found the folder with-"

"The folder with the construction plans?", she hissed.

He gave a nod. "Yeah, and I-"

"You opened it without my permission and just… pulled the first thing that caught your eye", Annabeth continued for him.

"I- Yeah.", he said and ran a hand through his hair. "But Annabeth – I swear, it wasn't my intention to leave with the plans. I swear."

"Are you trying to say you just forgot to put it back into its place?", Hazel scoffed.

"Yes! For gods' sake!", he yelled.

Piper stepped up. She had her arms slightly raised.

"How many times do we have to tell you that we're not here to harm you?", she said. "The only reason we're here is because you're in danger and we wanted to help!"

"You're trying to help us by taking our things with you to camp Half-Blood?", Frank asked and crossed his arms.

Piper grabbed her head in frustration. There was a second of silence, but it was enough to make her realize that there was no talking to these people anymore. They were beyond being unreasonable. There was no point in arguing with them since they refused to believe something they didn't want to.

There was only one thing they could do. And that was to leave this damned city and leave them to their doom.

She took Jason's hand.

"I think it's best if we leave now, Jason", she said firmly. "There is no point in arguing any further." She looked at them one last time and turned around.

"Good point, Piper", Frank said. "But now we can't let you leave."

Jason growled. His eyes were almost sparkling lightning when he turned to their former friends.

"Say what again?"

Frank shrugged as if it wasn't his fault that the rules were like this and didn't bother to answer.

"We'll find an accommodation for you", Annabeth said. "In time you'll-"

"You can't force us to stay!", Jason growled.

Annabeth looked at him defiantly. "There are ways to keep you here."

Piper put a hand on her hips. "The plan must be really important if you're scared that others will find out about it", she mused. "What was in that paper?"

"Expansion plans and the number of people who live here", Jason answered quickly. "We can't allow you to expand you territory."

"Why not?"

Jason stared at Annabeth. "Why not? Are you serious?!" He shook his head. "You can't just occupy a place when it's not yours! Seriously! When - When did you become so… arrogant?"

"Arrogant?!"

"Yes!", he growled. "All this, the power you hold and the admiration people have for you just because you've rebuilt some city, made you so arrogant you're not thinking clearly anymore!"

"I admit, I'm not a humble person", Annabeth said. "And I'm trying to change it, I really am! But it doesn't change the fact that you have broken -"

"What?!", Piper and Jason exclaimed.

" – into my office and stolen important documents from us!" She took a deep breath. "Those plans you stole, were made a couple of months ago.", she explained. "We're not only thinking about expanding but this is about security. We want to stay anonymous. We don't want anyone to meddle into our own problems."

"If you leave this city, Jason", Hazel continued. " -without swearing by the river Styx to not tell anybody about what you've seen in these documents, we will have no choice but to follow you."

"We have no choice but to assume you're spying on us to use the information against us one day."

Jason and Piper stared at them in disbelief.

"Dear gods! What are you guys drinking?", Piper said, shaking her head.

"Yeah! What's wrong with you?", Jason said. "We didn't do anything that could in any way harm you!"

"And that's where you're wrong", Annabeth said. "Even if you just forgot to put these plans back to their place, you still planned on reporting everything to Chiron"

Jason had nothing to say, because she was right.

"That's why we were sent here", Piper said. "_Chiron_ sent us here, Annabeth!"

She raised a hand. "I know", she said, "And I have nothing against telling him that we're alright. But that was before you-"

Piper interrupted her. "I don't care." And with strength in her voice she said: "We are leaving."

The present people straightened and nodded.

"Okay.", they said.

The demigods from camp Half-Blood turned. Jason looked at his girlfriend gratefully and shot her a weak smile.

The door closed shut with a loud bang. The couple stumbled back and turned to see Hazel with her arms raised. She lowered them slowly.

"Manipulating us with your words, Piper huh?" Annabeth shook her head.

Piper took a deep breath. She stepped forward.

Hazel made a hand movement and a golden clasp flew at her and clasped around her mouth. Piper stumbled back, her hands desperately trying to take the clasp off. She stared at them wide-eyed.

Jason unsheathed his sword and charged.

"Piper!", he yelled. "Get up!"

Hazel sidestepped and their swords clashed. With force, the son of Jupiter slowly but surely managed to lead her to a corner where she had less space to move.

Meanwhile Piper had jumped to her feet. She grabbed her dagger, but ran to the closed doors because she knew that Annabeth was superior to her. But just as she was nearing the door, a loud, animalistic roar rang out and a huge tiger landed heavily in front of her. The tiger growled at her, his human eyes almost more threatening than the deadly fangs.

Piper rushed to the left, but Frank cut her way and lunged with his paw at her. She rolled to the side with a muffled scream.

Hazel fought bravely and she had gotten infinitely better since the last time they had seen each other, but Jason was still more powerful than her. Hazel shot a brick at him, but it burst into thousand pieces when a short spark of lightning ran through it. Jason lunged at her and she ducked in time and sent a rock of gold at him.

Hazel jumped over him and Annabeth, who was busy fighting Piper, knocked her sword back to her. Her sword and Jason's met again and the shrill sound made Frank, the tiger, cringe. He was circling the scene, prepared to attack whoever tried to move to the door.

"Hazel!", Annabeth shouted as she pushed Piper's dagger away. "Let's switch!"

Hazel commanded the white marble to rise and push her to Piper. The action surprised Jason, but he recovered quicker than Hazel and even Annabeth expected. He commanded the air to lift him up and follow her. Annabeth ran to the other side – where Jason had been a second ago – and watched how he landed safely on top of the mound Hazel created. He jumped at her with a loud yell and Annabeth fell to the side. She rolled to the side as Jason's sword clashed against the ground.

While Jason and Annabeth fought on one side of the room, Hazel managed to disarm Piper.

The daughter of Love slashed at the other girl, but she evaded the attack quickly. She pushed her old friend back and stomped her foot to the ground. The marble behind Piper rose dangerously, causing her to trip. Her dagger clattered to the ground. Piper desperately crawled towards her weapon. She stumbled to her feet, but she barely made two steps when Hazel sent two metal clasps at her. These two things landed heavily on her legs, more or less sewing her to the ground so she couldn't stand up.

A growl from Frank made her look up.

"What is it?", she asked, but found the answer quickly.

Jason swung his sword at Annabeth's feet. She jumped to not lose her legs and when she landed gracefully on her feet, Jason commanded the air to push Annabeth back. She cried out and fell hard on her back. Her dagger lay somewhere where she could not reach it.

Frank moved to jump at him, but a lightning bold caused a small explosion between them and he was thrown back. Frank changed back into his human form and with his girlfriend, stared harshly at Jason.

There was an icy silence, before they charged at each other, shouting at the top of their lungs.

Frank's sword almost decapitated him, but Jason moved swiftly and slashed at him. Frank deflected the blow and punched Jason in the face. The son of Jupiter jumped to the side when his former friend lunged at him again. He stabbed, injuring Frank's leg.

Jason was getting tired. This fight, he knew, could go on forever. So he ran to the other end of the hall, Frank followed. When he reached the wall, he turned and raised his sword. Electricity flowed through his body. He felt the energy accelerating his heartbeat. He pointed the sword at Frank and the electricity cursed from his body through the blade.

"FRANK!", Hazel screamed.

Frank gasped when he realized what was happening. He managed to roll to the side as the lightning bold burst from the tip of Jason's sword and exploded where Frank had been a second ago. The impact threw him further to the side, Hazel too, and it took him short, endless moments to move from his spot. His fingers searched desperately for his sword. He could hear Jason's feet running towards him and he had nothing to defend himself with. Finally, his hand grabbed the hilt of his sword. He lay on his back to deflect the upcoming blow from Jason, but his heart skipped a beat when Jason's sword was almost upon him.

The doors opened suddenly and Frank heard Hazel scream from somewhere far away. His eyes were fixed on the sword and on Jason. He was going to die today.

Great.

He shut his eyes, didn't want to see it coming. But nothing came. He felt nothing. Only Jason's gasp. Frank opened his eyes again and his breath hitched. The trembling sword tip was almost touching his nose. Frank crawled back, increasing the distance between the deadly weapon and his vulnerable skin.

Jason's eyes were open wide. He was gasping for breath as he tried to gain control over his own body. He groaned at the pain of the struggle.

Hazel helped Annabeth up and sighed at the sight of her boyfriend.

"Glad, you're okay", she croaked.

He only nodded breathlessly and turned to Percy, who was standing at the doors. His face was a mask of fury and his arms were raised and pointing at Jason, who still hadn't moved from the spot.

"The fight is over", he said.

Percy moved his hands down a bit and Jason's body trembled as he was forced to his knees. Somewhere, Piper let out a sob. Jason's sword fell from his hands.

"Wh-What a-are you…. Doing?", Jason managed to say.

Percy didn't answer. He moved his arms to the side, the rest of his body moving along like a wave until Jason was lying on the floor.

"Hazel?"

The named one nodded simply and tied Jason's hands with a metal clasp. She pat the dust from her hands and pants.

"The others are on their way", Percy said and approached Annabeth. He took her hands. "Are you okay?"

Annabeth nodded and smiled weakly. "I'm fine", she answered. "I will have a headache tomorrow, though."

Percy grinned and kissed her temple as they hugged.

Their moment was interrupted when a group of people stormed into the hall. Abe was among them. At the sight of the mess Hazel and Jason had made, he grabbed his hair and groaned.

"Shit!", he said. "Who's going to clean up this mess?"

"Shut up, Abe", Hazel said tiredly and turned to the people in charge of security. "Take these two to the dungeons."

"What did they do?", one of the asked as he looked at the destroyed place.

"They tried to steal important documents concerning our city's security. They are spies."

A gasp went through the growing crowd.

"Okay, people!", Percy said loudly as Jason and Piper were taken away. "Show's over now. Please leave the uh… crime scene! Thank you! If there are any volunteers to help with cleaning up this mess, please turn to Annabeth! Thank you! Good night!"


	9. Dear readers

Dear readers,

**I lost the file with the story**. Yeah, it sucks. Believe me, I was so crushed that for a while, I lost interest and then, when I was motivated enough to continue the story, life got in the way and then I went on vacation. And now university is about to start and my schedule is stuffed with other things other than writing fanfiction.

I haven't forgotten about this story and **I will finish it**. I have the ending in mind, but I will probably have to edit the previous chapters just in case. This will take time as I'm also in the middle of another project. This story will be finished eventually and I know it sounds like one of those "promises for promises sake" things, but it's not.

There might be changes in the story, so once I've updated again I'd recommend checking out the previous chapters just in case. But I will warn you if that's the case.

Otherwise, I can't tell _WHEN_ I'll be updating, I can only tell you that it _will_ happen.

**Thank you**,

_carimasali_


End file.
